as in unwillingness
a lack of willingness or desire to do or accept something
the mice showed an odd reluctance to eat the cheese we had put out for them
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of reluctance
However, Starbucks has struggled in recent years, along with other Western companies that have lost ground to local rivals amid rising nationalism and reluctance to pay premiums for foreign brands.
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Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 4 Nov. 2025
Curtain calls Tycho Brahe, the renowned Renaissance astronomer, died in 1601 from a burst bladder, which was likely the result of a bladder infection and his reluctance to excuse himself to urinate.
—Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Nov. 2025
Recognising those market values would boost Barcelona’s financial standing but likely diminish their ability to compete — and a reluctance to sell stars was part of what drove them down the palancas route in the first place.
—Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025
Sometimes the case for war’s inevitability is couched in expressions of rue and reluctance.
—Elizabeth D. Samet, Foreign Affairs, 29 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for reluctance
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reluctance
Noun
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Fed up with Tony’s bellicose style and an unwillingness to meaningfully negotiate, Deerfield Beach would have to start its own police force and fire-rescue service — a major undertaking that will take two years.—
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Disenchantment with the future – and an accompanying unwillingness to have kids – have at points become a rallying cry for people in China, in particular during the pandemic when the government mobilized stringent measures to stop the spread of the virus.—
Noun
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Big money’s hesitancy Wall Street hasn’t jumped on board with the same fervor as the average Joe.—
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Their efforts were met with hesitancy from some families — installing sensors required Ayala to enter homes for installation, and some families had privacy concerns around providing data to the sensors.—
Noun
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That reticence may well have helped to diminish his reputation; indeed, his contribution has been largely eclipsed by that of his eldest son, the abstract painter and sculptor Ben Nicholson.—
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Still, the focus on Venezuela could help distract from Putin’s reticence to strike a deal with Ukraine.—
Noun
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Citing Chinese academic research, the report notes that financial and time pressures, especially the cost and burden of child care, are major factors contributing to families’ hesitance.—
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The judge continued to echo his hesitance following the reveal and shared an Instagram Stories post posing the question for fans.—
Noun
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Cameron Winter’s lyrics have an air of inscrutable mysticism, but there is little doubt he’s supposed to be the one singing them.—
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Tonga has missed the past three games, which puts his availability for Sunday’s Wild Card showdown with the Chargers in significant doubt.—
Noun
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The same disinclination would normally apply.—
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Beauty’s at-times reluctance to embrace TikTok Shop as a channel mirrors the industry’s longtime disinclination toward Amazon, an attitude that has shifted in recent years as the e-commerce giant’s beauty business has grown at an incontrovertible clip.—
Cite this Entry
“Reluctance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reluctance. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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